[MR] Wikipedia: The Naughty Nuns of Littlemore Priory

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

The Wikipedia "Featured Article" for today is the "Littlemore Priory
Scandals". The Priory of St. Nicholas was a small Benedictine convent at
Littlemore in Oxfordshire. The priory was noted for its lax discipline and
poor maintenance in the mid-15th century. In the early 16th century the
prioress and some of the nuns were implicated in sexual scandals, theft of
church property, and abusive behavior. The situation became so bad that
several nuns broke out a window and escaped, hiding out with sympathetic
lay friends. The priory was closed in 1525 on the order of Cardinal Wolsey.

The naughty doings are discussed at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littlemore_Priory_scandals .

One priory building survives, lately as a pub, and has recently given
serious archaeological investigation. Excavations of the cemetery
discovered several mysterious graves. For a series of photos from the dig
see
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medieval-oxford-nunnery-witches_n_7469386?slideshow=true#gallery/5bb801e5e4b0159c28b68081/0

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆